July 17, 2010: Kitfox III (N888TL) Monument Valley, UT

ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS:

On the afternoon of July 17, 2010, Darrell Boucher reported that during landing and just before touchdown on Runway 16 at Monument Valley the wind suddenly shifted to a tailwind. The airplane, an experimental Kitfox III (N888TL) landed hard and bounced back into the air. Mr. Boucher then added full power in an attempt to execute a go-around. He stated that the airplane failed to climb and drifted off to the left side of the runway until the left wing hit the ground, resulting in the airplane flipping over.

Mr. Boucher was the only occupant in the aircraft and was not injured in the crash. The accident was jointly investigated by the FAA and NTSB. The NTSB determined in a very short 3 months that Mr. Boucher failed to maintain directional control and compensate for the crosswind during the aborted landing.

HISTORICAL SUMMARY:

This site was located during the search for another wind related accident site at this remote private airstrip on the Navaho Indian Reservation. The low and slow impact crash site consists of only three or four fragments of wing structure.

At first, the fragments were puzzling compared to other aircraft structures I have seen. The fragments had attach points utilizing pop rivets, staples, and small aluminum tubing. I figured I was dealing with some kind of ultra-light or light sport aircraft. A quick check on the NTSB's website accident database narrowed the possibilities to this accident. Luckily, no injuries.

The Denney Kitfox is a series of small personal kit aircraft with folding wings that was originally designed and manufactured by Dan Denney and his company Denney Aerocraft of Boise, Idaho.

The Kitfox is unique in that it was one of the first designs to make popular a quickly folding wing that greatly eased transportation and storage.

The aircraft can be built in a two car garage and then towed to the airport with the wings folded. The design allowed for easy conversion to floats or skis. Over 4500 kits have been delivered in 42 different countries.